Device for climbing and/or balance training

ABSTRACT

The invention describes a piece of equipment for climbing and/or balance training with adjustably arrangeable climbing grips or with an adhesion-friction coating, which consists of a flat disk on a holding system, and the disk design provides for rotating and/or tipping of the disk. By means of a guide element with rollers and/or grooves, the disk is mounted with the ability to rotate, and the rotation resistance can be varied with an adjustable brake device that is part of a mechanical brake system. In addition, with another free rotational axis, the angle of inclination of the disk can be modified, and/or by releasing the plug-in connections a combined rotating and tipping movement is made possible. Also, the rotating and tipping movements of the disk as well as the adjustments of the brake resistance can be predetermined with a programmable motor control. On the disk are openings that receive the plug-in devices for the climbing grips, the distribution of which is flexible in accordance with user preferences.

This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/DE98/00576 which has an Internationalfiling date of Feb. 24, 1998 which designated the United States ofAmerica.

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a piece of equipment for climbing and/orbalance training with adjustably arrangeable climbing grips or coatings;and the equipment finds use in training applications in the home, infitness centers and in professional sports.

The market sector leisure and fitness is currently showing pronouncedchanges in the nature of sports activities. In fact, alternativeathletic disciplines such as climbing, also referred to as ‘freeclimbing,’ are gaining more and more in importance. Fitness clubs areincreasingly concerned with satisfying this trend, even though mostathletic locations are bound by considerable limitations to this end.Accordingly, general athletic equipment to date does not offer specificexercises for climbers, and only very few fitness facilities have themeans and opportunity to install climbing walls that are known in theart. It is disadvantageous that these climbing walls known in the artrequire much space, and that they are expensive.

Equipment for climbing training with adjustably arrangeable climbinggrips has previously been known in the art from WO89/09635. In thisinstance, a flat disk is arranged on a holding system, and the disk canbe rotated or tipped. To a certain degree, this design already providesfor the possibility of individual adjusting of the climbing surface.

These and other objects are accomplished by equipment for climbingand/or balance training with adjustably arrangeable climbing grips,wherein a flat disk is arranged on a holding system, and the flat diskis capable of being simultaneously rotated and tipped.

In contrast to climbing walls already in existence, the presentinvention is a flexible system which is independent of location,satisfies a high athletic standard, is maintenance-free, and which isconsiderably less expensive than climbing walls. Consequently, with theequipment according to the invention, high quality training is possibleeven at athletic facilities with limited space.

A particular advantage of the invention is the space-saving constructionof the equipment as well as the variety of possible training regimens.The latter is accomplished by arranging a flat disk with holding grips,or a coating, on a holding system, and this disk is designed withrotating and/or tipping properties. Provided on the holding system is,directly or indirectly, a guide element for the rotating holding supportand mounting of the disk, and/or an adjustment element for therealization of tipping movements performed by the disk.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Subsequently, the invention will be explained in more detail with theassistance of the embodied examples that are at least in part depictedin the figures.

They show:

FIG. 1 An illustration of the principle embodied in the equipment withselected climbing grips

FIG. 2 A stylized side view with respect to FIG. 1 indicating varioustipping positions

FIG. 3 A detailed view of the guide element for the disk.

As shown in FIG. 1, the climbing and balance training system consists ofa holding system 1 which contains the disk 8. This disk 8 has a diameterof approximately 2 m. Using rollers and/or groves, it is mounted withthe ability to rotate by means of the guide element 2 on the holdingsystem 1, and the rotation resistance can be varied with an adjustablebrake device that is part of a mechanical brake system. In addition,with another free rotational axis, the angle of inclination of the disk8 can be modified, and/orby releasing the plug-in connections a combinedrotating and tipping movement is made possible. The openings 4 arelocated on the disk 8 for the purpose of receiving the plug-in devicesfor the climbing grips 3 the distribution of which is flexible accordingto user preferences. The disk 8 can be manufactured of a magneticmaterial, designed without bore holes, and the climbing grips can beadjustably arranged on the disk 8 with magnetic force. The sameprinciple can be applied with regard to metallic wall mirrors or othersurfaces occurring e.g. in the fitness area.

It is also possible to design the disk 8, or certain surfaces, as smoothand even, while the climbing grips 3 are adjustably fastened to the disk8 with the assistance of suction cups or suction fastening devicesMoreover, it is also possible to forego the climbing grips altogether.Instead the disk is equipped with a coating for the purpose of realizingadhesion and friction forces between the body of the climber and thedisk 8. The coating can consist of, for example, plastic or alkyd resin,and it can be applied directly onto the disk or it can be screwed on asa membrane. Different types of coatings provide for variety in terms ofclimbing difficulty.

Depending on his/her level of fitness, the user can train his/her motorskills and expertise at different angles of attack. Consequently, forthe first time, with this equipment it is possible to simulateoverhanging rock, inclined planes or roof-like climbing challenges.Because of the different ways in which the equipment can be moved, it ispossible to very favorably target specific strength, endurance andbalance training goals. By rotating the disk 8 during the actualtraining process the climber is able to practice diagonally, sideways,and in extreme cases even upside down, which in part corresponds totraining in natural surroundings. The rotating movements and the brakingprocesses of the disk 8 can be adjusted mechanically or with a motor,e.g. an electric motor with the corresponding controls. If a motorcontrol is used, it is possible to load programs that represent certainlevels of difficulty which, as a consequence, constantly change thesystem. For example, the position of the disk 8 can be changed every 10seconds by rotating and/or tipping the disk, or the disk's movabilitycan by modified with changes of the braking power.

In simple embodiments of the equipment the tipping position of the disk8 is arrested with a plug-in connection, for example, a bolt that isplugged into the adjustment element 9. T-screws can be used as a simplebrake mechanism for slowing down the rotating movement of the disk 8.The fastening of the climbing grips 3 on the disk 8 can be effected byinserting them into the openings 4, by screwing them on, with magneticforce or any other suitable fastening method. The climbing grips 3 canbe arranged on both sides of the disk 8. In addition, it is possible toinstall climbing grips 3 on one side of the disk 8 and to equip the disk8 with an adhesion-friction coating on the other side. In the presentembodiment the holding system 1 is envisioned as a two-piece supportwith, respectively, two support braces 5 and 6, arranged at an angle inrelation to each other, and a cross brace 7, and the angle between thesupport braces 5 and 6 is approximately 90 degrees.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments that are described inthe current context. Rather, by combining the means and characterizingfeatures, which have been referred to here, it is possible to realizeother variations of embodied examples without exceeding the framework ofthe invention.

List of Designations

1 Holding system

2 Guide element for the disk

3 Climbing grips

4 Openings

5 Support brace

6 Support brace

7 Cross brace

8 Disk

9 Adjustment element

What is claimed is:
 1. A climbing and/or balance training device withadjustably arrangeable climbing grips, said device comprising: a flatdisk arranged on a holding system, wherein said flat disk is arranged tosimultaneously produce a rotating motion about its axis and a tippingmotion; a guide element directly or indirectly arranged on said holdingsystem, said guide element providing a rotating, holding support mountfor said flat disk; an adjustment element arranged on said holdingsystem for producing said tipping motion; and an adjustable brake devicearranged on either of said adjustment element or said guide element. 2.The device according to claim 1, wherein said adjustable brake devicecomprises at least one T-screw.
 3. The device according to claim 1,wherein said flat disk is connected to at least one driving force forcausing said rotation and tipping motions of said flat disk, saiddriving force produced by means of at least one electric motor, and eachelectric motor is controlled by a programmable motor control.
 4. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein the tipping motion of said disk isarrested with plug-in connections on the adjustment element.
 5. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein the rotating, holding support mountof the flat disk is effected by means of groove and/or roller guidingbetween the flat disk and the guide element.
 6. The device according toclaim 1, wherein the flat disk is equipped on at least one side with amultitude of openings for the optional fastening of climbing grips. 7.The device according to claim 1, wherein the flat disk is constructed ofa magnetic material and the climbing grips are equipped with magnets forattaching to the flat disk.
 8. The device according to claim 1, whereinthe flat disk includes a smooth, even surface while the climbing gripsare equipped with suction fastening devices for attaching to the flatdisk.
 9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the flat disk isconstructed in a circular shape.
 10. The device according to claim 1,wherein the holding system includes a two-piece support having firstsupport brace and a second support brace arranged at an angle inrelation to each other, and a cross brace that connects said first andsaid second support braces, and an angle between the first and secondsupport braces is approximately 90 degrees.
 11. The device according toclaim 1, wherein: the flat disk is equipped with a coating supportingadhesion and friction forces.
 12. The device according to claim 11,wherein the coating consists of plastic and/or alkyd resin in order torealize different levels of training difficulty.